What does this comment on stipends mean?

I don't read this as any threat to the stipend, but as a comment that they want to bring more to the table for Premiums other than the stipend. With the land market the way it is now M could easily be thinking the Mainland purchase ability is a negligible benefit leaving the stipend. In that scenario looking for additional benefits above and beyond the stipend was the intent of the message.

Swag instead of stipends, yay.

Another way to screw the customer...

Which "latest blog" are you referring to? It would be really excellent to be able to figure out what you are referring to.

Seriously...

I don't think they need to reducing anything with premium, it will be
like saying why bother getting it if they do.
I buy L$ but having the stipend does help me out and does help me
pay for uploads and buy for things I wouldn't normally spend L$
on.
It would effect me.
Not that anyone would care but if they reduce things from premium
then its like why bother being premium at all?

I think that is a matter of opinion, M has stated a couple of times that he wants to increase the value of the premium account. If the stipend sinkhole is no longer required then removing it and replacing it with something more valuable to negate the loss would be acceptable I think. I get L$500 per week which is about £1, the price of a can of coke in London. If it goes, then so what, there are lots of other things they can offer us as previously mentioned in this thread of far greater value.

Personally I would like free texture uploads on premium.

Live Help.

I've rented for the last 18 months and have no need for the stipend, but I am still premium and I am more than happy to pay out every month for live help.

And also I have got a lot out of Second Life and feel it's my responsibility to support Linden Labs by maintaing my premium membership, even if that membership offered me nothing of value.

Great for you. It is great you have it.
The issue they brought up is people who using stipends instead of buying L$ who don't own
property or don't spend much else.
For me it sounds like LL just wants more money. If they want more money
limit the free or basic accounts or make concierge pay for membership accounts too.
Not everyone has the money, some like myself pay what we can, and we use
the stipend to pay for our uploads of textures and things we make for fun that
never sell.
I am premium too. Some idiot was proposing though that only sim owners could
be premium. Sounds bit self serving.
Like only people who can have anything are those who can put out over 200 dollars
a month on this game rest of us will be forced to rent or be landless.
If they need more L or money why can't they do something to earn it elsewhere then take more from premium members?

The quoted passage appears at
http://blog.secondlife.com/2008/11/12/q3-closed-on-a-high-note-with-an-unusually-strong-september/
(as one can tell by pasting part of the quoted passage into Google and clicking on the first result)

It looks to me like it was Zee Linden, not M. Linden.

You make it sound like I am lucky for being able to afford $10 a month or whatever it costs to pay for Premium. Everyone in SL can afford computers with expensive graphics cards, they can afford high speed internet connections. To the average SL user I would assume that $10 per month is considered disposable,

I admit not many would pay for premium without getting anything in return. But if they abolished stipends tomorrow and abolished the support system tomorrow for premium members then it is still worth the money if the only benefit is being able to own land. This is generally a cheaper alternatie to renting.

I am Premium and poor..i.e meaning I live below poverty level and don't have big disposable income. SL is something I do to distract me from medical issues and allows me to create and I have spent whole lot in SL in spite that fact.
That wasn't what I was referring too.
I also have several friends in SL who are disabled on premium who aren't making whole lot in our first lives due to this and my friends make even less then I do
who pay 10 dollars a month for their membership and can't pay more.
They don't have fancy graphic cards in fact mine is on really low end and I can't afford to upgrade and continue to pay for the land I had so I downsized.
In fact one my most talented friends in fact has geoforce 4400 that
has taught me how to do lot of different artistic things.
I have few other friends who living below poverty line in US who are very poor but talented who make things for fun, distraction of first life problems but don't make a whole lot here or first live who lives on those stipends from premium accounts
for next textures upload, advertisement in hopes of the next sale sometimes,etc.
What I read into what LL is considering doing or proposing is they want more people
to buy more L and not have that as bonus as stipend. Also forcing more people
to have to rent land.
And it sucks.
Not everyone here is wealthy, with high end machines, even though they don't
have a lot are premium for the stipend and 512m lot of their own because
it works for them.
It just sucks sometimes I realize everyone wants more and more and sometimes
gives less and less, but I nor my friends should be forced to help Linden Labs make few
extra dollars because they don't like the fact we are living on our stipends with our premium
accounts and not spending more on buy their L$.

That sentiment is not shared by nether M nor Zee.

Stipends were already planned to be eventually phased out when Supply Linden was announced.

http://blog.secondlife.com/2006/07/17/linden-dollar-economy-announcement/



But with the reduced stipend, the elimination of almost-free land to use that token included tier, and lackluster support, the premium account really is immaterial, a product few new customers would care for. The price hasn't been reduced to match the inferior offering, it's become an annoying hoop to jump through when picking up mainland parcels. No matter if they reduce the stipend for new buyers or leave it the same, it's long past time for them to replace the value that's already been chopped off the product.

I still think what is a more likely scenario goes something like this.
1. no more premium acts at all - with that comes no more free 512, extra support or stipends

2.anyone can own land on the mainland if they pay tier

3. tier moving to a flat $/m rate that removes all benefits for owning big chunks but allows people with odd plots to avoid the big jumps in the current pricing. It also will likely bring the full sim tier level into alignment with the new OS prices

*edit - not saying I like this but I could easily see LL doing it

QFT!

I enjoy hanging out in SL educational environments - but they are all generally geared to learning skills for the entertainment/hobbyist/every day users - most of us. I have yet to meet the corporate executive or university professor who spends much time on SL in that capacity.

And you're right, Lindal - LL keeps doing things that irk the people that are truly their customer base then, speaking for myself, I still have a LOT of friends on IRC (who either tried to get to SL but their computers were not powerful enough, tried it and didn't like it, or heard about it and just dismissed it) to return and catch up with and can use Yahoo to stay in touch with my partner.

Agreed! I have two premium accounts so I could get a decent tier rate (for the RL money I can afford to put into SL, which isn't much) so I could purchase enough land and pay the tier on it by setting up a shop.

My plan is for my sales at the shop to eventually cover tier (again, not that much, but a big chunk of my RL monthly budget). I use the stipends from both accounts, plus my small amount of sales atm, to offset tier plus pay for necessary texture uploads.

I have discontinued purchasing anything right now, instead putting any lindens I earn into my little business. So unless something really great that would be beneficial were offered by LL *if* they remove stipends and/or don't lower tier jumps, then I'll sell off my land, not renew premium, be "homeless by choice" and just explore - which would be putting nothing into the SL economy.

Anyone over at LL *THINKING*??

I just wish LL truly wanted diverse group of people in SL but sometimes
it just doesn't feel like it.
I know they care if everyone quit spending money and purchasing things like
L$ but I feel like whatever I scrap up enough together is never going to be
enough.
I have cut back. I won't be spending more, I will spend less if they change
how premium is.

oh I would love to see that added, even if it was a set amount of say 100 or 500 uploads a week or something

Best idea I have seen, however I would rather see it as uploads, not just texture

this way anyone who uploads, be it texture, sounds, animations, all benefit


also I would LOVE to see then restrict non premium members from using gestures... and certain scripted items, might stop some spam and griefers

(say a non premium could not use a gun for instance, or a cager, etc)

im sure no matter what they do, premium will be even less appealing to me than it is now.
i just downgraded to basic in fact.
premium is a liability for me. if i am late with the $ they lock me out of the lindex and i have no way to pay premie, tier, nothing... and my account and sims get stolen away.
no thanks ll. you already stole one alt and the $L6000 in her account.

Yes. Of course. Only non Premiums use gesture spam.

WHOOOOOOOO!

Seconded. My next tier jump is large, and I am maxed out. I wouldn't mind the option of 1024 more.

Take a look at the Supreme Flock of Land Ninjas, you might be able to rent tier from them and get a bit more land.

What, even if they give you more with premium than they do now?

They are talking about adding value to the premium package, not reducing it. In all honesty, if I didn't own mainland, I would be basic. It's cheaper for me to buy L$ on lindex than pay about £7 per month to get less than £4 back as stipend.

My 4 pre-06/06/06 accounts are all premium now. All of them get $L500/week plus the 512 free tier.

That means: $L104000 a year plus 2252m tier (with group bonus).

Together, the accounts make me around $80 USD a year in stipend sold on the Lindex and save me more then $180 USD a year in tier fees.

I am most definately not profitable for LL. Which makes me very happy. I've given them enough money over the years. Maybe in another 5 years I'll break even with this platform.

Should LL decide to eliminate stipends entirely from NEW accounts, fine by me.

But they didn't change my stipend when they downgraded the stipend to $L300/week and I have my fingers crossed that they DO grandfather my stipend til the end of time. I think I've earned it, for supporting this platform for 5 years. If they don't, I'll be downgrading to basic.

There SHOULD be a benefit to premium membership for those who upgrade thier accounts or join today, and if I were coming into this platform now I see no incentive to premium membership. There are a lot of ways they could make premium more attractive...

But don't mess with my stipend.

Sounds like there are quite a few of us on this thread alone that will be downgrading if LL makes an unwise move re: premium accounts.